Bowlers, Young help New Zealand seal series
Sri Lanka, as a result, miss out on qualifying for this year's World Cup directly
Sri Lanka, as a result, miss out on qualifying for this year's World Cup directly
Scorer: Sudeep Poojar | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar
8:15pm Right. That will be that from us for this game. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Abhimanyu, Sudeep and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye and take care!
8:11pm Well, that turned into a fairly one-sided contest in the end. That, though, was not the case at the start of the run-chase when Kumara was running through the Kiwi top order. Rajitha and Shanaka picked up a wicket apiece and when Latham fell, New Zealand still needed 99 runs.
But like he has done in his short ODI career so far, Young stood up, soaked in the pressure and stitched together an excellent knock. Nicholls provided him good support, with the pair ultimately putting on a century stand.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand's bowlers were brilliant, with Henry, Shipley and Mitchell picking up three-wicket hauls. Sri Lanka, much like the rest of the tour so far, were not able to withstand that pressure and crumbled to a score that was well below par.
There were a few positives for Sri Lanka, namely the way their pacers bowled with the new ball. Kumara, though, limped off in the dying embers and Sri Lanka would be hoping that that is nothing serious. With the T20I series on the horizon, there is something for Sri Lanka to cling on to, although they would need a drastic improvement in the batting department to pose a stiff challenge.
Karunaratne to bowl what could be the final over in this game
Right. Sri Lanka have managed to stretch this run-chase to another over. Surely the Kiwis will seal the deal in this over? It would be fitting if Young was to hit the winning runs, considering how superbly he has batted today
Matt Henry, Henry Shipley and Daryl Mitchell took three wickets each, as hosts restricted Sri Lanka to 157
Sri Lanka, as a result, miss out on qualifying for this year's World Cup directly
Sri Lanka need a win to keep alive thin chances of securing direct qualification although they need other results to also go their way